Hyperventilation is a condition in which you suddenly start to breathe very quickly. Healthy breathing occurs with a healthy balance between breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide. You upset this balance when you hyperventilate by exhaling more than you inhale. This causes a rapid reduction in carbon dioxide in the body.
Low carbon dioxide levels eventually lead to narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. This reduction in blood supply to the brain leads to symptoms like lightheadedness and tingling in the fingers. Severe hyperventilation can lead to loss of consciousness.
For some people, hyperventilation is rare, and only occurs as an occasional, panicked response to fear, stress, or a phobia. For others, this condition occurs regularly as a typical response to emotional states, such as depression, anxiety, or anger. When hyperventilation is a frequent occurrence, it’s known as hyperventilation syndrome.
Hyperventilation can also be caused by the following:
- Bleeding
- The use of stimulants
- Drug overdose (aspirin overdose, for example)
- Severe pain
- Pregnancy
- An infection in the lungs
- Lung diseases, such as asthma or COPD
- Heart conditions, such as a heart attack
- Diabetic Ketoacidosis (a complication of high blood sugar in people with type 1 diabetes)
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